The Extinction Rebellion pram burning, spray painting, 'climate duty of care' protest out the front of Parliament House and the PM's Canberra residence, The Lodge, did what it was supposed to do on Tuesday.
It got attention.
The action, which culminated in eight arrests, was never designed to change the Morrison government's collective minds on climate action.
To the contrary, seeing venerable buildings sprayed with red words was not protesting to government eyes. Just vandalism. Burning a pram to highlight the threat to future generations was, in one government senator's mind, hypocritically releasing, "heaps of greenhouse gases".
The Prime Minister tells us he prefers the quieter protestors who wave and smile from State Circle most mornings urging a "honk for climate" as he is driven that short distance to his office.
"I tell you what, I'm listening to her. I'm listening to Australians about this issue. And more than that, we are taking action that I think will actually make the difference," Scott Morrison said.
For the Morrison government, producing polluting greenhouse gas emissions is what developing nations and China are mostly doing and tackling climate change at home is about technology. And no one, according to the PM, will be "matching our ambition for a technology-driven solution".
The mantra is "technology not taxes" and the government insists action is under way. The push is for a "clean" hydrogen strategy, carbon capture and storage technologies and storing carbon in soil.
"Technology changes everything; that is the game changer," the Prime Minister said on Tuesday.
But those technologies are not here yet and the IPCC is urging action now. Listening to the government, the investment in technology is about "positioning" Australia for when they do arrive.
And there is no commitment to the global target of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Energy Minister Angus Taylor says the Coalition's goal remained to achieve net-zero emissions "as soon as possible, preferably by 2050".
The 2030 goal, which is to cut emissions by 26 to 28 per cent of 2005 levels, also remains unchanged. There are also still government members who do not believe in climate change.
Here is the Prime Minister's problem.
He has to say this: "The government's position is very clear. We need to take action to address climate change."
And in the next breath, Mr Morrison has to acknowledge this large political dilemma: "There are many Australians right across the country whether they live in our suburbs or in regional areas who have got anxieties about the changes and what it means for them."
"Will they have a job? Will their kids have a job? Will their electricity prices go up? They have serious concerns about that and we can't be flippant about those or dismiss them."
Climate change is a conundrum for some of the northern members of the junior Coalition partner, the Nationals. It is simply not a priority, nor even a reality.
And at the same time, it is a real crisis for the many of the traditional Nationals constituents: farmers and graziers who want to keep their livelihoods. Farming practices are changing. In many ways, agriculture is at the forefront of climate action. It has to be. Farmers want practical action.
Mr Morrison says he does not want regional Australians to carry the burden for the country.
It is understood, the government is trying to work out how to reward farmers for the work they are doing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The IPCC report is expected to accelerate this work.
But the Prime Minister has offered this reality check.
"I don't make blank cheque commitments. I leave that to others. Blank cheque commitments you always end up paying for. And you always end up paying for it in high taxes," he said.
"That's what the alternative approach is. That's not my approach. That's never been my approach. My approach is finding practical solutions to what are very practical problems."
The other practical problem for the Morrison government is holding the Coalition together and getting back into an electorally winning position.
This week's Newspoll - which saw a significant slump to Mr Morrison's approval rating - was a reminder that people were none too happy with the federal government's handling of the pandemic.
With the IPCC report pointing to worldwide inadequacies with climate action, Australia included, it is likely another problem the government cannot contain.
